RUST COMMENTARY: PACHYDERMS, CHEMICAL TREATIES AND A NEW PRESIDENT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

CHARLES STALON ... national energy deregulation expert ... will be the guest speaker at the newly formed PACHYDERM CLUB which is devoted to bringing information to the citizens of the area. Conservatively based and led by SKIP SMALLWOOD, the meeting will be at noon Friday at Port Cape Girardeau and is open to the general public. Anyone interested in INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT should attend.

"Action without knowledge creates chaos."

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Toxic Treaty

A group of senators is rightly blocking ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The treaty's lofty purpose -- outlawing chemical poisons for military use -- is laudable. But in the real world, the document is fatally flawed.

Verification will be next to impossible. Given the ease of operating lethal laboratories in garages and out-of-the-way buildings, clandestine violations will be extremely difficult to detect, no matter how many inspectors roam the globe. Rogue states such as North Korea, Iraq and Libya will not even pretend to comply, They flatly refuse to sign the Convention.

Incredibly, the treaty will allow other nations access to our latest chemical equipment and information. Violators of intellectual property rights in China, Iran and elsewhere will no longer need to pirate the stuff; they will have it handed to them on a platter.

Nonlethal chemical agents such as tear gas will be largely prohibited to our military, thanks to the way Clinton is interpreting this document. What are our troops supposed to do when faced with a civilian riot in some troubled area where they have to intervene? Shoot into the crowd?

Despite its basic unverifiability, the treaty will burden American chemical companies with heavy-duty reporting requirements and make them subject to snap inspections. Such flaws are why former Defense chiefs Dick Cheney and our esteemed Chairman, Cap Weinberger, are opposed. So are other foreign policy heavyweights, including former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick.

Defeat of the treaty, however, need not stop the U.S. from continuing its program of destroying its stockpile of deadly chemical weapons. -- Steve Forbes.

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University of Missouri welcomes MANUEL T. PACHECO as the new president of its four-campus system.

Pacheco said he has no mandates from the UM Board of Curators or plans of his own to shake things up when he takes over UM on Aug. 1, after he leaves the University of Arizona.

Pacheco and UM recently signed a contract that runs for four years. "If things go well, I hope to stay at least 10," he said. His starting salary is $195,000.

Pacheco -- pronounced Pa-CHECK-o -- has been president at Arizona since 1991, a position that is equivalent to a chancellor in the UM system. His 33-year career in higher education shows a steady climb in administrative responsibilities, a background he said has prepared him well for UM, where he will oversee four campuses instead of one.

One of his top priorities, Pacheco said, will be hiring a permanent leader of the Columbia campus, which is being run by interim chancellor Richard Wallace. Curators have said Wallace is the front-runner for the permanent post, but the new president will have a strong say in the decision.

Another priority will be to draw up a plan for the UM system's proposal for "mission enhancement," a process laid out by the General Assembly that requires each state university to identify programs for increased state funding. UM is hoping for a multimillion-dollar increase in appropriations next year based on its plan.

The search for a new president began six months ago when the first advertisements seeking a successor to George Russell were placed in higher education journals across the country. The search cost the university about $92,000; $67,000 went to consultants Korn-Ferry International for fees and expenses.

Curators whittled a list of about 70 potential candidates down to five for interviews: Pacheco, National Library of Medicine director Donald Lindberg, Oklahoma State University president James Halligan, State University of New York-Binghamton president Lois DeFleur and former Social Security Administration director Shirley Chater. --Columbia Daily Tribune.

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And, of course, education is on everyone's mind with the school bond election next Tuesday, April 1. Be proud to say you VOTED YES TWICE.

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On Southeast Missouri State University's campus, the big inauguration week for PRESIDENT DALE NITZSCHKE starts April 4 with Sen. PAUL SIMON'S evening address. The event's main speakers have been financed by private donations by individuals and companies who know the marketing and public relations benefits of this event, which will feature the inauguration ceremonies at 2 p.m. April 10 with MAYA ANGELOU as the speaker.

Friday, April 4, is also the day that MR. HIRATO, president of KYOWA HAKKO KOGYO, (parent corporation of BIOKYWA'S local manufacturing facility) will visit Cape.

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According to the St. Joseph News-Press, attendance and revenue on the gambling boat at St. Joseph has fallen to a 26-month low.

According to figures released by the Missouri Gaming Commission, attendance at the casino in January was 60,102, or an average of 1,938 a day.

That is the lowest monthly number since November 1994, before slot machines were added to the riverboat.

Attendance in the previous month of December was 61,959.

The Frontier Casino collected $1,365,948 in revenues in January, or an average of $44,062 per day. Of that monthly revenue total, the casino pays 20 percent, or about $272,000, in taxes to the state, which goes to the education fund.

The average gambler lost $22.73 per two-hour gaming session. The monthly revenue numbers also were the lowest since November 1994.

Frontier Casino operators say December through February is typically the slowest period of the year. They also concede the St. Joseph casino is feeling the impact from increasing gaming competition from Indian tribes in Northeast Kansas, huge Las Vegas-style operators in Kansas City and in Council Bluff, Iowa.

A year ago, in January 1996, the casino reported 61,017 customers and revenue of $1.63 million.

Results from other casinos in Missouri during January:

* Casino Aztar in Caruthersville: Attendance of 55,000 and revenue of $1.56 million.

* Argosy in Riverside: Attendance of 251,000 and revenue of $5.37 milion.

* Sam's Town in Kansas City: Attendance of 166,000 and revenue of $3.82 million.

* Harrah's in Kansas City: Attendance of 559,000 and revenue of $12.85 million.

* Hilton's The Flamingo, in Kansas City: Attendance of 192,000 and revenue of $3.56 million.

* Kansas City Station: (after 16 days open) Attendance of 533,000 and revenue of $7.4 million.

* Casino St. Charles: Attendance of 514,000 and revenue of $11.37 million.

* The Admiral in St. Louis: Attendance of 233,000 and revenue of $4.9 million. -- St. Joseph News-Press.

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Balanced Budget Amendment:

"American freedom remains at risk. Without a BBA, the federal government's excessive spending will continue to threaten the economic freedom of future generations of Americans. Rising federal debt, now over $5.3 trillion, will condemn our children and grandchildren to crushing tax burdens and oppressive interest rates," said Sen. Coverdell (R-Ga.) on the budget vote. "Sadly, the margin of defeat (66-34) came from [two Members] who broke campaign promises made to the American people." The two Senators are Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). All Senate Republican members and one out of four Democrats voted in favor of the Amendment.

The defeat of the measure has set the stage for a long, partisan and heated budget battle soon to come. The president, who strongly opposed the BBA, stated that this was a great victory for the people. Those who voted in favor of the BBA are now telling the President and those who voted against the BBA to "bite the bullet" and make those difficult cuts that are necessary, the ones that have not been made for the past 29 years.

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.